Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at the 25th annual meeting of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) in Helsinki on 2 March 2004

It is a great pleasure and honour for me to open the 25th annual meeting of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM). The significance and historical nature of this meeting is underlined by the fact that we are also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Helsinki Convention.

The Helsinki Convention is a pioneer. The convention which was signed in 1974 and came into force six years later was the first international convention designed to protect the marine environment. First but not premature. The need to protect the Baltic Sea was already quite apparent. The convention had radical but realistic objectives. It included a commitment to stop pollution and mechanisms for the issuing of detailed implementation rules.

The revision of the Helsinki Convention in 1992 improved possibilities to protect the unique nature in the Baltic Sea. The convention was expanded to the entire catchment area and to include agriculture as well as the protection of marine life.

HELCOM was established on the basis of the Helsinki Convention. Thanks to the legal foundation provided by the Helsinki Convention and successful cooperation, HELCOM is a key actor in protecting the Baltic Sea. Achievements range from prohibiting toxic substances to improving maritime safety.

Today Baltic cooperation and the operating environment are significantly different from what they were when the Helsinki Convention was first signed. The number of independent states and signatories has grown. Our region has also become more clearly a region of strong economic growth and increasing integration.

The accession of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to the European Union two months from now will also affect HELCOM's activities. HELCOM will remain a key actor in protecting the Baltic Sea, however. It is important to have a forum to which all the states in the region have made a commitment as equal and sovereign actors.

HELCOM should be able to agree on measures which are necessary to protect the Baltic Sea and are binding on all members in the future as well. HELCOM has a great responsibility to produce information concerning the state of the Baltic Sea and its special protection needs and to bring the necessary measures to the attention of national authorities and international organizations.

The Baltic is one of the most polluted seas in the world and the situation is particularly poor in the Gulf of Finland. All the coastal countries share the blame for this. Other European states also bear their own responsibility for the pollution of the Baltic Sea. Too many countries have neglected the need to protect our common sea in past years and there are still many deficiencies in committing to protection decisions, not to mention implementing them.

We know that all too many nutrients flow into the Baltic Sea. We also know that measures are needed quickly and still we will have to wait a long time for effects. We need measures to reduce emissions from communities, agriculture and industry now so that future generations can have a chance to enjoy the Baltic Sea.

Strong growth in maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea brings new challenges. It is gratifying to note that HELCOM has concretely promoted common rules in winter navigation as well as cooperation in preventing oil spills. Improving maritime safety requires continued efforts within HELCOM.

All of us have reason to be self-critical, but we coastal states have a special need for cooperation. Even more so in the future, since economic growth in the region can cause an additional burden on the Baltic. This is not inevitable, however, if we can find the common will to take care of the matter otherwise.

Citizens expect effective measures to protect the Baltic Sea. People's commitment to sustainable development is visible and should be visible in public decision-making. This takes place above all at the level of the nation-state, but it is visible also in international organizations such as HELCOM. A good example of this is the Youth Forum, which has been organized in conjunction with this HELCOM annual meeting.

The future of the Baltic Sea is in our hands. We all have a responsibility to keep the Baltic alive. I would like to thank you for your continuous and persistent work in favour of the Baltic Sea.

I wish this 25th annual meeting of HELCOM success and the ability to make positive decisions to ensure the future of our common sea.